It is known to provide water tanks which are designed to heat and dispense water for various purposes such as for hot beverages and the like. It is desirable to ensure that a sufficient volume of water is heated quickly, quietly and efficiently for dispensing. In one type of known heating tank for dispensing hot water, water is supplied to the tank through an inlet pipe and a heating collar is secured around the tank. The collar with heating element therein, transfers heat through to the water within the tank via heat conductive walls of the tank. In such types of hot water tanks, it is difficult to avoid clearance between the heating collar and tank outer wall, which therefore does not allow for maximal conduction of heat through to the water and which may tend to cause noise as the heating element, typically a standard electrical heating element, is powered. Furthermore such collar type heaters take up a considerable amount of space around the periphery of the tank.
In order to increase speed and efficiency of heating of the water it is known to provide a heating element positioned within the water vessel for immersion directly in the water. The heating element of this type of heating system may be exposed to impurities within the water and requires a significant amount of degree of cleaning and maintenance.
It is also known to provide a resistive type heating element mounted adjacent the bottom wall of the water tank for heating the contents of the tank. In order to improve transfer of heat to the tank, the heating element, contained within heat conductive material, such as aluminum, is itself affixed to the tank. As the element is electrified, heat is transferred through to the water in the tank via heat conductive tank bottom wall. Such heating apparatus may not optimally transfer heat to the water within the tank due to clearance between the element and the tank wall. Furthermore, a certain degree of noise as the heat element is activated is commonly observed.
Typical hot water tanks have one large compartment inside with the water in the compartment heated from outside of the tank. Due to convection principles, cold water introduced into the tank tends to fall to the bottom during the introduction of water into the tank with hot water rising to the top. Known tanks for dispensing hot water tend not to heat water as rapidly and/or as efficiently as is desired.
In order to disperse cold water as it enters into the tank and to reduce temperature differentials within the tank, it is known to provide a cold water baffle adjacent to the entry point for cold water, such as is shown in FIG. 14 which is shaped to disperse cold water as it enters the tank. The shape and orientation of known baffles does not lend itself to maximal dispersion of cold water and thereby for the most efficient heating of water. Furthermore, known hot water tanks in the coolers have separate intake, drain and outlet pipes for the incoming cold water, outgoing hot water and for draining the pipe.